[NaturalFork]

I like to make cool blowgun targets from stuff you would otherwise throw away. One of the things I do is take a gallon milk jug and stuff it full of plastic bags from the super market. If you really pack the bags in there very tight and screw the cap back on, or glue the cap on tight ... these targets last a very long time. And when all is said and done .. you can still properly recycle the materials.

Does anybody else make recycled targets?

 

[Teach]

Currently using old upholstery foam for my skewer/wooden/bamboo darts.

 

[treefork]

Corrugated cardboard box stacked and layered together for a back stop.

 

[squirrelslinger]

single layer of carpet for backstop.

my normal target consists of bottle caps hung on nails.

For my special .22 blunts, I use an alumnium disc that is knocked over by a hard dart impact.

 

[Teach]

This stuff makes great dart board material. Sometimes call Donnacona, ceiling tile, sound board, sound tile.

When I can get old celing tile like these;

https://www.google.com.mx/search?q=donnacona+board&espv=210&es_sm=91&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=rywzU8e4M62msASSi4GwBg&sqi=2&ved=0CCUQsAQ&biw=1067&bih=498#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=llv5Szf2-NShMM%253A%3Bc6j47EW1360QXM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.hse.gov.uk%252Fasbestos%252Fessentials%252Fimages%252Faib4.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.hse.gov.uk%252Fasbestos%252Fessentials%252Faib.htm%3B295%3B237

I cut them into as close to 4' strips as my saw blade thickness will allow. From 12 inch tiles that gives 3x 4x12x1/2 inch pieces. From 8 celing tiles once cut I get 24 pieces 4x12x1/2 inch. I lay them on top of one another on the flat. Then bolt them together using ready rod from top to bottom on both left and right sides. This gives a nice size target that is 12x12 inches square by 4 inches thick. This will stop any dart of any kind.

After many thousand shots - say the centre gets shot out, just unbolt the ready rods and replace the 6 or 8 pieces in the middle with new pieces and bolt it all back together again. You only need to replace the pieces that are shot out.. Lasts forever!

 

[NaturalFork]

This stuff makes great dart board material. Sometimes call Donnacona, ceiling tile, sound board, sound tile.

When I can get old celing tile like these;

https://www.google.com.mx/search?q=donnacona+board&espv=210&es_sm=91&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=rywzU8e4M62msASSi4GwBg&sqi=2&ved=0CCUQsAQ&biw=1067&bih=498#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=llv5Szf2-NShMM%253A%3Bc6j47EW1360QXM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.hse.gov.uk%252Fasbestos%252Fessentials%252Fimages%252Faib4.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.hse.gov.uk%252Fasbestos%252Fessentials%252Faib.htm%3B295%3B237

I cut them into as close to 4' strips as my saw blade thickness will allow. From 12 inch tiles that gives 3x 4x12x1/2 inch pieces. From 8 celing tiles once cut I get 24 pieces 4x12x1/2 inch. I lay them on top of one another on the flat. Then bolt them together using ready rod from top to bottom on both left and right sides. This gives a nice size target that is 12x12 inches square by 4 inches thick. This will stop any dart of any kind.

After many thousand shots - say the centre gets shot out, just unbolt the ready rods and replace the 6 or 8 pieces in the middle with new pieces and bolt it all back together again. You only need to replace the pieces that are shot out.. Lasts forever!

I will have to check this out.

 

[Teach]

I forgot to mention.......I use either 2x4's or 2x6's on the flat on top and on the bottom that the ready rod go through. This gives something strong for the ready rod to pull on and squeeze all the pieces together real tight so they don't move when hit with the darts.

 

[Teach]

I will have to check this out.

This stuff makes great dart board material. Sometimes call Donnacona, ceiling tile, sound board, sound tile.

When I can get old celing tile like these;

https://www.google.com.mx/search?q=donnacona+board&espv=210&es_sm=91&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=rywzU8e4M62msASSi4GwBg&sqi=2&ved=0CCUQsAQ&biw=1067&bih=498#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=llv5Szf2-NShMM%253A%3Bc6j47EW1360QXM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.hse.gov.uk%252Fasbestos%252Fessentials%252Fimages%252Faib4.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.hse.gov.uk%252Fasbestos%252Fessentials%252Faib.htm%3B295%3B237

I cut them into as close to 4' strips as my saw blade thickness will allow. From 12 inch tiles that gives 3x 4x12x1/2 inch pieces. From 8 celing tiles once cut I get 24 pieces 4x12x1/2 inch. I lay them on top of one another on the flat. Then bolt them together using ready rod from top to bottom on both left and right sides. This gives a nice size target that is 12x12 inches square by 4 inches thick. This will stop any dart of any kind.

After many thousand shots - say the centre gets shot out, just unbolt the ready rods and replace the 6 or 8 pieces in the middle with new pieces and bolt it all back together again. You only need to replace the pieces that are shot out.. Lasts forever!

Just for your info this material also comes in 4x8 sheets and different thicknesses. !/2 inch is very common.

 

[squirrelslinger]

I am thinking about taking a bunch of newspaper, layering it on edge... and using that.

 

[Teach]

I am thinking about taking a bunch of newspaper, layering it on edge... and using that.

That will also work. Use a similar frame for compression with the ready rod and your target material will not only stop the darts faster but will also last far longer.

 

[Gigmaster]

Pizza boxes are great blowgun targets. I print off life-size pictures of squirrels, and other things I hunt, and staple them to the front of the boxes. Then, I set them in front of my archery targets. It's almost like shooting the real thing.

I also use empty soda pop cans (with metal broadheads only...). When they get too full of holes, I crush them, and toss them in the recycle bag. When it gets full, it goes to the recycle center. If you can consistently hit a soda can at 20 yards, you can just about hunt anything you want.

 

[NaturalFork]

Pizza boxes are great blowgun targets. I print off life-size pictures of squirrels, and other things I hunt, and staple them to the front of the boxes. Then, I set them in front of my archery targets. It's almost like shooting the real thing.

I also use empty soda pop cans (with metal broadheads only...). When they get too full of holes, I crush them, and toss them in the recycle bag. When it gets full, it goes to the recycle center. If you can consistently hit a soda can at 20 yards, you can just about hunt anything you want.

I need more practice to hit a can at 20 yards consistently.

 

[Teach]

I like to make cool blowgun targets from stuff you would otherwise throw away. One of the things I do is take a gallon milk jug and stuff it full of plastic bags from the super market. If you really pack the bags in there very tight and screw the cap back on, or glue the cap on tight ... these targets last a very long time. And when all is said and done .. you can still properly recycle the materials.

Does anybody else make recycled targets?

I just tried using the actual shopping bag as a bag to hold the other bags stuffed into it. I tied one as tight as I could get it at the top then put it into a second one to double bag it. Extremely light and stopped the darts very well.

Stuff like this could make real good distance trainers. I used to do the same thing with burlap sacks stuffed full of these plastic shopping bags and used them as archery stops. For silhouette shooting I would hang a few bags in trees out in the bush at different distances. Then I would walk around them shooting from different distances from the target each time. It was very good practice for estimating ranges.